GenreSystem to classify books by their

common characteristics

FICTION: unreal, not true, not factual, a made up story

NON-FICTION: real, factual, deals with actual people, places, and events

Fiction Purpose is to entertain and involve readers

in stories of life. You can expect to find:

characters problem or conflict setting

Traditional Literature Began in the stories passed down orally

throughout history Includes: folktales, fairy tales, tall tales,

fables, myths, legends, and epics

Traditional Literature

Fantasy Fiction that contains unrealistic or unworldly

elements, such as magic Includes modern fantasy and science fiction Writers of fantasy make an unreal world

seem believable

Fantasy- exceprt from Eragon by Christopher Paolini

“Unconscious, he was taken to their holdings, and his body healed. He slept for four days. Upon awakening he gave no sign of his fevered mind. When he was brought before a council convened to judge him, Galbatorix demanded another dragon. The

desperation of the request revealed his dementia, and the council saw him for what he truly was. Denied his hope, Galbatorix, through the twisted mirror of his madness, came to believe it was the Riders’ fault his dragon had died. Night after night he brooded

on that and formulated a plan to exact revenge.”

Science Fiction Special type of fantasy that involves or is

based on scientific principles

Science Fiction- excerpt from Maze Runner by James Dashner The enormous stone wall to the right of them seemed to defy every known law of physics as it slid along the ground, throwing sparks and dust as it moved, rock against rock. The crunching sound rattled his bones. Thomas realized that only that wall was moving, heading for its neighbor to the left, ready to seal shut with its protruding rods slipping into the drilled holes across from it. He looked around at the other openings. It felt like his head was spinning faster than his body, and his stomach flipped over with the dizziness. On all four sides of the Glade, only the right walls were moving, toward the left, closing the gap of the Doors… He tried to picture in his mind how the structure of it all worked. Massive stone walls, hundreds of feet high, moving like sliding glass doors—an image from his past life that flashed through his thoughts. He tried to grasp the memory, hold on to it, complete the picture with faces, names, a place, but it faded into obscurity. A pang of sadness pricked through his other swirling emotions.

Historical Fiction The story is set in the past. The characters and story

are made up/from the writer’s

imagination, but the author

uses accurate historical details

true to life in some period of

the past to support the story.

Examples: food, cooking,

transportation

Historical FictionSummary- The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, is a holocaust story from a different point of view. The story is told through the eyes of Bruno, a nine year old German boy from Berlin. Bruno’s father is of high status in the German military, therefore is asked to move himself and his family near “Out-With”. From Bruno’s experience, he is taken away from his home, his friends, and his easy lifestyle to somewhere unfamiliar and odd, just because of his father’s job. He goes through the days trying to survive boredom as well as tolerating his older “know it all” sister. He looks out his bedroom window and sees small huts and thousands of people wearing the same thing, striped pajamas, and becomes jealous that all of those people have the opportunity to become friends and play with each other while he sits in his new house. Then, Bruno builds up enough courage to begin exploring.

Mystery A type of realistic fiction that focuses on a

question that needs resolution. The text contains clues for the reader to

find.

Mystery A mysterious island. An

abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience.

Realistic Fiction Story drawn/made up from the imagination

of the writer but is true to life The story must be believable. It often deals with everyday/universal

problems with friends, family, disabilities and death.

Realistic Fiction excerpt from Wonder by RJ Palacio

I know I'm not an ordinary ten-year-old kid. I mean, sure, I do ordinary things. I eat ice cream. I ride my bike. I play ball. I have an XBox. Stuff like that makes me ordinary. I guess. And I feel ordinary. Inside. But I know ordinary kids don't make other ordinary kids run away screaming in playgrounds. I know ordinary kids don't get stared at wherever they go.

If I found a magic lamp and I could have one wish, I would wish that I had a normal face that no one ever noticed at all. I would wish that I could walk down the street without people seeing me and then doing that look-away thing. Here's what I think: the only reason I'm not ordinary is that no one else sees me that way.

Genre ReviewNonfiction Informational text Biography Autobiography Memoir

Fiction Traditional Fantasy Science Fiction Historical Fiction Realistic Fiction Mystery

Nonfiction Provides factual information Focuses on a specific topic The information must be able to be verified

Informational texts The main purpose is to provide ideas, facts,

and principles that are related to the physical, biological, or social world.

Can be found in: picture books, essays, chapter books, articles, journals, reference books, brochures, and manuals.

Informational text World's stinkiest cheese smells like feet – Associated Press Baumgartner's Cheese Store in Monroe, Wisconsin is home to the stinkiest cheese

in the world. In 1880, Limburger, which is smeared with a foul-smelling bacteria to make it age quickly, was described by local author John Luchsinger as "a premeditated outrage on the organs of smell." Mark Twain wrote about "a most evil and searching odor" in his 1882 tale, "The Invalid's Story." In the 1918 silent movie "Shoulder Arms," Charlie Chaplin played a soldier at the front who, after opening a package of Limburger, flings it into enemy lines, forcing the Germans to surrender.

"Larry the Cable Guy" spit out a Limburger sandwich at Baumgartner's, declaring that it tasted like a dead possum.

But here in Monroe people love it. They take enormous pride in the fact that their town is the only place in the country where Limburger is still produced.

The cheese was first concocted by 19th century monks in the Duchy of Limburg, an area now divided among Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. Later in New York, Limburger sandwiches became a favorite working man's lunch, cheap and nutritious and usually washed down with a glass of beer. The Monroe cooperative now makes about 700,000 pounds a year.

Biography An account of the life of an individual Form of nonfiction (true) Bios means life Author must do research by interviewing

the subject or those who knew the subject Graphe means to write

Michael Jordan: A Biography by Bill Gutman In thirteen years with the Chicago Bulls,

Michael Jordan led his team to six NBA championships, earning MVP honors each time. His career average of 31.5 points per game was the best in NBA history, and his 29,277 total points won him ten season scoring titles and made him the third all-time leading scorer in the league. His last-second shot in Game 6 of the 1998 Finals against the Utah Jazz clinched the Bulls' sixth title in a decade and marked Jordan's triumphant exit from the game of basketball.

Autobiography Form of nonfiction (true) An account of the life of an individual written by

the subject (the person the story is about) Auto means self Bios means life Graphe means to write Author does not need to do research Author shares how he/she feels and what he/she

thinks

except from Michael Jordan’s

Rare Air: Michael on Michael "When I leave the game I'll leave on

top. That's the only way I'll walk away. I don't want to leave after my feet have slowed, my hands aren't as quick or my eyesight isn't as sharp.“ "I saw some Dream Teamers dog it in practice before the Olympics. I looked at them and I knew that's what separates me from them."

memoir An account of a personal or historical event Includes feelings, memories, and the

author’s observations

Memoirs of a Bullied Kid by Dan Pearce

No part of me wants to write this. The truth of it is something I’ve never openly discussed, with anybody. It is something I’ve never had the courage to confront. It’s somewhere to which I have never allowed my mind to wander. And yet, it’s something that has probably had more impact on me than just about anything else in my past.

I was bullied. Repeatedly, and without end. Up until fifth grade, I had friends. I fit in. I was “normal.” We moved

around a lot, but it wasn’t a big deal. I don’t remember any serious heartache or sadness during my first ten years of life.

But in fifth grade, all of that changed. In fifth grade, somehow a permanent target got placed on my back…